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A 13,000-square-foot green roof at the Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in San Antonio has helped the facility achieve LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The roof features a variety of native grasses and sedum, which help regulate the building's temperature during summer and winter. The roof collects the condensate from air-conditioning units to water the plants.

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Retractable roofs offer different features atop football stadiums across the country. They are made of materials ranging from translucent fiberglass at Reliant Stadium, in Houston, to metal and fabric. Designers originally considered a retractable-roof design for the Mile High stadium as Denver looks to attract the Super Bowl, but those initial plans would add $150 million to the cost compared with building an open-air stadium, said architect Curtis Fentress, and a Broncos spokesman said the team is not considering that option.

A design problem caused the auditorium roof of Farrington High School in Honolulu to collapse last month, according to a report from the state Department of Education. A steel truss in the roof framing was found to be designed improperly, according to the report. The truss was supporting a small balcony that added significant weight, the department said.

Installation of a modular green roof that is about half an acre in size has begun at the New York Hospital Queens in New York City. The roof will consist of plant trays featuring sedum, and it is expected to reduce stormwater runoff from flowing into nearby waterways. Manhattan College will monitor the stormwater management performance of the roof.

A tornado on Monday caused a portion of the roof at the Mall of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas, to collapse. It also damaged a load-bearing wall and led officials to have the building evaluated for structural stability. The tornado swept through the area as thunderstorms flooded the city.

Montana resident Nate Lengacher grows sedum and other succulents that are used to make green roofs in other states. He recently harvested a crop of the sedum, which is officially known as Xero Flor, for a Salt Lake City home. His sedum will also cover the roof of a Nintendo building in Washington state. More than 35 acres of Xero Flor are in production throughout the U.S. The company is based in North Carolina and has installed more than 1.2 million square feet of green roofs in North America.